


Shatter

by orphan_account



Series: Vox Populi [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 23:47:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3337145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra helps Asami come to terms with her father's death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shatter

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of a series of one-shots that all take place after the end of Book 4.
> 
> All stories are canonically independent of the others in the series.

"Asami, wait!"

Korra jogged after Asami, nearly stumbling on the uneven ground below her. 

Asami stopped and turned to Korra. The glow from the new spirit portal reflected off of the buckles of her shirt. Her face was neutral, but her eyes looked exhausted. "Korra, what do you need?"

"I just-" Korra put her hand on her arm, looking down. _Spirits this was awkward_ "I'm sorry about your dad. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

Asami's looked away. "I'm fine. Really, I am. I'll grieve later - they're telling me half of my company is on fire and apparently some mechs made it to my house and-"

Korra cut her off with a strong hug. "Ah, Korra, aren't you hurt?"

Korra pulled her closer. "I'll be fine."

Asami patted her back. "So will I. Please, I need to go." She motioned to the three Satomobiles that sat at the edge of the crater. "They're already mad I spent as much time as I did looking for you."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was worth it. I'm glad you're safe." 

Korra let her go. Asami walked up the crater, where a tall man in a suit led her to a Satomobile. The man opened the back passenger door, but Asami sidestepped him and stepped into the driver's seat, pulling out the man that was sitting it. Korra smiled to herself. She did, in fact, seem okay.

\--

"She is definitely not okay."

It was the day before Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding. Mako had invited the gang up to his apartment for dinner. The apartment was still standing, minus access to electricity, so Korra entertained Bolin and Opal by playing with the candlelight that illuminated the room while Mako grilled chicken with his firebending.

Bolin leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, I'm with Mako on this one. There's no way she's okay after what happened."

Korra continued to concentrate on the five candles in front of her. She waved her hands and they danced around the edge of their wicks, bouncing to an inaudible beat. "But it's not like she was close to him,” she said, not looking up. “She just started talking to him after three years. I'd think she's somewhat okay at this point."

The light from the candles was dwarfed by Mako's flame as he grilled another piece of chicken. "Korra, her dad got killed right in front of her. Unless she hated her dad - which she didn't - there's no way that didn't affect her."

"Yeah, and he didn't die normally," Bolin said, "He got smashed. There wasn't even a body." He mimed a hand coming down, landing on his plate with a loud _thunk_.

Opal rolled her eyes. "That's a good mental image to have right before dinner. But they're right, Korra. You don't just walk away-"

"Ejected. Remember, she got ejected," Bolin said.

"Ejected, then. You don't just get ejected like that and be okay. I can't imagine how much that must have hurt."

Korra shrugged, and the flames did the same. "But Asami's always been pretty strong. Her dad got arrested and she basically used it to turn Future Industries into one of the best manufacturing companies in the world."

Mako set down a plate of grilled chicken and a large bowl of rice. He sat down and picked up his chopsticks, serving himself. "Hiroshi did the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"After his wife died, he threw himself into his work. I remember it, vaguely. It was a big deal because he basically lived in his office for six months. But he did so much, too. Most of the modern Satomobiles are based off of models Future produced during that time. And he also worked a bunch with Republic Electric and basically redid the entire grid."

"In six months?" Opal asked, "That's insane."

"Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if Asami's doing the same thing. Maybe that's what Satos do - throw themselves into their work whenever they have stuff they don't want to deal with."

The four ate in silence for a minute. "She's going to the wedding, right?" Korra asked.

"That's what she told me when she said she couldn't come to this." Mako said.

"Okay, good. She's not allowed to miss that." 

\--

Asami did show up to the wedding, wearing a gorgeous red dress and a couple new cracks along her face. But she still had that energy she had whenever she cared about something, and it was clear to Korra that the wedding was her first break since Kuvira.

The evening became a blur to Korra. The wedding itself. The reception. Korra's vacation idea. Hurriedly making calls and assuring Tenzin that they wouldn't be gone for too long. Hugging and saying goodbye and promising her parents she would take care of the both of them. In what felt like minutes, she had a backpack on her shoulder and Asami's hand in her own as they walked to the portal.

Asami could only afford to take off three days, as she was coordinating with various parts of the Restoration Board that had been set up to work with construction and utility companies around the region to assist in the effort to rebuild the city. It would be months before the major damage was taken care of, and potentially years before the city could begin moving forward.

"One rule," Korra had said shortly after they stepped through the portal. "No work talk. This is a vacation. You and I need to rest."

Asami laughed. "Fair enough."

And to her credit, they managed to talk about everything else other than work. "I hate that we have to leave." Asami said on the third day, idly playing with Korra's hair as they lay against a tree and watched spirits play in a small lake.

"Me too," Korra said, relishing the sensation of Asami's hands. "But I'm so glad we did this. You have excellent choice in vacation destinations." Her smile fell. "Are you sure we can't stay another day? We have enough food."

Asami sighed. "No, and if I stay another day everyone in the company will freak out and it'll be this whole other deal and-" She cut herself off, sighing. "I'm sorry. I forgot your rule."

Korra snuggled up closer to her. "It's okay." They lay for a couple hours, breaking the silence only sparingly. At the end of it, Korra stood up, stretching. "We need to go," she said. "It shouldn't be far from here.

They walked back to the portal, holding hands along the way. Asami stopped them just short of the portal's entrance. "What's up?" Korra asked. 

Asami pulled Korra in for a hug. "Thank you for this," Asami said. "I didn't realize how much I needed it until now."

Korra returned the hug. "Of course." She pulled away, grinning. "Betcha five yuans Bolin's going to break our ribs when he sees us."

Asami laughed, and Korra suddenly became aware of how beautiful and genuine the sound was. Maybe Mako was wrong, and that Asami was going to be okay. She took her friend's hand, and led them through the portal.

\--

Korra threw up her hands. "How was that the wrong thing to do?"

They were back at Mako's apartment, this time illuminated by electric lights and the smells of carryout filling the room. Bolin and Opal were out on a date-night, so Korra had brought Mako carryout and a new record to keep him company.

"It wasn't wrong," Mako said, correcting himself. "You just didn't talk about her dad at all, by the sound of it."

"Oh yeah, let's have her talk about the one thing that's sure to get her emotional. _In a place where emotions are amplified_. To someone who isn't entirely emotionally stable herself." Korra nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's a fantastic idea."

"Okay, okay," Mako said, holding up his hands. "I forgot the Spirit World did that. I'm sorry. But it's been what, two weeks since then?"

"Almost three." Korra fished out another piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth. "Her secretary and I went out for lunch last week though, since she felt bad that she had to tell me Asami was busy for the millionth time. We got dumplings. It was nice."

"I doubt Asami would appreciate that you were hitting on her secretary," Mako said, smirking a little.

Korra blushed, nearly dropping her chopsticks. "I- I wasn't. I wouldn't do that to Asami." She recomposed herself. "Thanks for being okay with that, by the way. I'm sure it's weird for you."

Mako shrugged. "I'll be fine. But back to her. She seriously needs to see someone. A psychologist. Tenzin. Anyone."

"How do you know she hasn't?"

"Because Asami's not the kind of person to rely on others for stuff like this. She got through losing her mom by herself, she'll do the same for her dad. When we were dating she lost a major supplier in a bidding war and didn't tell me about it for almost a week, until I found her crying in her office."

Korra imagined Asami sitting in her office right now. Back bent over the desk, her shirt riding up ever so slightly, revealing new cracks that weren't there the day before. 

"Keep trying to see her," Mako said, interrupting her train of thought.

"What? Oh. Why me?"

"Because you're her girlfriend and that's what girlfriends do?"

"Oh, right. Don't worry, I will."

"But try not to string along the secretary for too much longer. No need in breaking her heart."

Mako dodged a piece of chicken that was flung at his face.

\--

"I swear I wasn't avoiding you, really!" Asami said over the bustle of the crowded dumpling restaurant, blushing slightly.

Korra laughed, waving her chopsticks. "No, no it's fine. That was Mako's worry. But tell me, what have you been up to?"

And Asami launched into an overview of the month of work she had accomplished since their vacation together. Korra interjected only sparingly - she was more focused on Asami than the actual conversation, which quickly veered into language that was too business-y for Korra to follow.

Asami was obviously exhausted - Korra could see deep, dark bags under her eyes, and she moved her right hand gingerly, as if she had been writing with it for too long. Korra could see the tiny cracks in her fingers as she picked up dumplings with her chopsticks. 

But the worst part for Korra was that the spark had gone out of her. She sat slumped slightly, and there was no energy to her voice, even when Korra shifted the conversation away from work and towards how everyone else was doing. Her laughs were empty, with no emotion supporting them. She held her cup of tea as if she were a hundred years old and could barely support the weight.

Korra interrupted Asami's response to a question about Bolin and Opal, placing a brown hand over Asami's (paler than ever) own. "Hey," Asami said. "You alright?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I think you need to take a break away from work."

Asami raised an eyebrow. "Take a break now? While I'm in the middle of doing some of the best work Future Industries has ever done? Are you crazy?"

"No, but I'm beginning to think you might be. You look like you haven't slept in days and you just look so... tired." 

Asami shrugged, averting her gaze. "I have a lot on my plate. I need to. The City needs me."

"But you can't help if you're like this, Asami." Korra almost mentioned the new crack that had appeared, a long, thin one that stretched from her right ear down her neck and into her blouse.

Asami pulled her hand away. "I'm fine, Korra. Maybe a little overworked, but I'm fine." She got up and started collecting her bag and coat. "Speaking of which, I need to go." She opened her wallet and pulled out a fistful of yuans. "Lunch was my treat. Thanks." She threw the yuans on the table, where they landed on her half-finished meal, and started walking out of the restaurant.

"Asami, wait," Korra called, standing up and jogging after her. She slowed to a walking pace as she followed Asami out into the parking lot, her boots clicking against the pavement. Korra took Asami's hand, pulling them to a stop. 

Asami turned to her. The new crack had fractured, splitting into two at her jawline before fragmenting even further, like branches in a tree. "Korra, I'm fine," she repeated, "Really."

"No, you're not," Korra paused, unsure as to how to phrase her next thought. "If you- If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Asami looked away again. "What would I have to talk about?"

Korra couldn't bring herself to say it. It felt wrong, to be the first one to mention her father. The sounds of traffic and the bustle of a city on its lunch break filled her ears, the sounds almost deafening.

Asami pulled out of Korra's grasp. "I need to go. I'll let you know when we can do this again."

"Okay." Korra felt powerless as she watched Asami get into her car and pull out of her spot. The car expertly maneuvered between the rows of parked cars and out into the road, where it pulled into a lane marked for the manufacturing district.

Korra groaned and ran her hands through her shoulder-length hair, grabbing fistfuls as she sighed. "Asami, why won't you listen to me?" she said aloud. She started to walk down the road the restaurant was on, making her way to Air Temple Island. _If she only took an evening off and actually stopped running around for a moment she'd realize it. She's not stupid_

Something big and red caught her eye. She stopped in front of what she realized was small flower shop. In the window was a display of firelillies, apparently in bloom for the next few weeks only, if the window advertisement was to be believed. _Asami loves those flowers_ Korra said, remembering a comment she had made while they were in the Spirit World.

She stepped into the store. An older man with a long salt-and-pepper beard looked up from the book he was reading. "Can I help you, miss?" he asked.

Korra pointed at the display. "I'd like some firelillies," she said, a grin spreading across her face. "I have a date tonight."

\--

Asami had bought an apartment in the City shortly before Korra came back from her wanderings. The apartment was situated in a nondescript part of the richer side of the district, and the building Korra was standing in front of looked exactly to Asami's taste: glamorous and obviously coming from a place of wealth, but not flashy about its status. 

Asami's apartment door was similar: a plain door halfway along the tenth floor that gave no indication that the CEO of Future Industries stayed there whenever she had to work extra hours. As Korra approached the door, she wondered what other Republic City powerhouses lived here, and if they were good neighbors to Asami or not.

She knocked on the door, moonlight reflecting off of the brass plate that bore the apartment's number. No response.

Korra frowned. She saw Asami's car in the parking lot, so she had to be home. She put her ear to the door. Faintly, she could hear music playing from within. _So she is home. But not answering._ She tried the handle. It was locked. But...

She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the door, near the handle. She could feel a large deadbolt, made of platinum and in the unlocked position. The doorknob itself, however, was made of iron or something similar - the earth within the doorknob's lock tingled at her presence, begging to be bent. Carefully, she maneuvered the four pins within the lock into their unlocked positions, moving them until she felt them click into place. When the last pin was set, she turned the handle. The door opened, swinging silently on its hinges. Korra congratulated herself for her expert lock-picking skills, and stepped inside.

Asami's apartment was sparsely furnished. There was a large living area, connected to the entryway Korra was standing in, and she could see it had a few chairs all pointed towards a large fireplace. Korra couldn't see it, but she knew there was also a full kitchen to the other side of the living area, and a hallway that lead into two bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Asami had converted the second bedroom into a mini-office for when she was away from the Sato mansion. Korra wondered if Asami had even been back to the mansion since Kuvira. _Probably not._

"Asami," Korra called out, closing and locking the door (platinum bolt included this time) behind her. "Asami, it's me."

"Over here," said a voice from the living room. Korra approached.

Asami was sprawled over a large red couch, wearing a maroon bathrobe and slippers. An empty sake bottle lay on the floor next to the couch, its green color sharply contrasting with the rest of the room. Somewhere, a record player was playing a song, the slow and mournful jazz filling the room.

"Those're nice," Asami said, her tongue tripping slightly over the words.

"Oh." Korra had forgotten she was still holding the flowers. She set them down on the table next to the couch and sat down in a large chair across from Asami. 

Asami stretched in her seat, and Korra could see the cracks streaking up and down her long arms. "Were you sleeping?"

"Nah, I was listenin' to music." Korra could taste the alcohol in Asami's voice. "What brings you to my humble abode?" She smiled at her word choice, but it was a half-hearted smile at best. “How did you get in?”

"Your door was unlocked.”

“Oh. Oops.”

“I just wanted to see you,” Korra continued. “I know I said this a bunch at lunch, but I'm really worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately and-"

"I'm fine." Asami was blunt, her voice cold. Korra saw another crack appear along her already fractured face. She looked like a broken mirror.

Korra sighed, looking away. "I know you're lying," she said. She knew she was right, but it still felt like she was attacking her. "You can't be fine. Not after all that's happened. And I _want_ you to be fine, 'Sami, I really do."

She looked back. Asami had picked up the bottle and started playing with it her hands, turning it in the moonlight. "I don't wanna talk about it," she finally said.

"I know you don't. I didn't want to talk about what happened to me, either. But you need to. It helps."

More silence. Korra sighed, leaning back in the chair. The record continued to play in the background, switching to a second, slower song. Korra hadn't heard the song before, but it was beautiful, in a haunting sort of way. 

"You're mad at me." Korra jumped at the voice.

"No," she responded, settling back into the chair. "I'm not mad. I'm... worried." _Maybe being honest will help._ "And frustrated," she added. "I thought that, y'know, I was someone you could talk to about this."

She laughed, then. Somehow the music playing made the laugh sound ugly and bitter. "Oh, sweetie," she said, turning more towards Korra, her eyes dull and lifeless and sad, so sad it hurt Korra's heart to look into them. "You're the only person I would consider talking to."

"What do you mean?"

Asami shrugged. "Well, who else do I have? Both parents are dead, no extended family, no close friends besides you, and a bunch of 'work associates' who only see me as a way for them to get rich or steal my company. I have no one else." She repeated the last sentence in an almost singsong voice, matching the beat of the music. "Spirits, I hate this song," she said, frowning.

Korra was stunned at her words. "That's- That's not true. You know that's not true. Fine, I get that you're not close enough to Tenzin or someone like that, but Bolin and Mako have known you for years-"

Asami shook her head. "I _knew_ them, but then Bolin got Opal and his job and Mako has his job and they both have their own lives. Why hang around with some rich girl who's busy all the time?"

"Asami, that's not-"

"It is, Korra," Asami's pale fingers traced the outline of the bottle. "You can't see it, but I can. I've seen it so many times. People who find me interesting but then stop trying when they realize I'm too wrapped up in myself and my work to actually do anything with them."

"So then why not take time off? You're CEO, can't you do that?"

"And abandon this city? Korra, I could never do that. I am never the one who abandons." She stopped moving the bottle. "It's always everyone else," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Korra was silent for a moment, not sure what to say next. The record player stopped playing music, and Korra felt as if she was drowning in the silence.

"That's the rule: Everyone leaves Asami Sato. Leaves or gets taken. I'm supposed to be alone. I hate it, but with Dad gone for good this time and Mako and Bolin fading away I've stopped fighting it." Korra could see the tears silently streaming down Asami's face, trailing the cracks in her pale skin.

"No," Korra whispered. She got up and sat next to Asami, pushing her slipper-covered feet back to make room. "Asami, please don't talk like that. You're scaring me."

"Why not? It's how the world is."

"But it's not true."

Asami sighed, rolling her eyes. "It is. One day you'll leave too. You can't stay here forever - other places need the Avatar, too."

"But- But I would always come back. I love Republic City too much to leave it for good. I would always come back. For you and Mako and Bolin and Tenzin-”

"And leave whoever you end up marrying waiting months or years in between seeing you? Korra, I already did that, and I can tell you it's one of the worst things a human being can go through. So go." She waved her hand towards the door. "Leave. Abandon me like all the rest."

"Asami, I'm not doing that."

"Yes, you are. For once in my life I'm going to control when someone leaves me." She pointed to the door. "Go. Get out of my apartment."

"No." Korra held firm.

"Korra, GO!" She shouted the last word. 

Korra didn't say anything, her right hand gripping the right armrest of the couch. 

Asami looked at Korra, then looked at the sake bottle still in her hands. With a grunt, she threw it at Korra. Korra managed to dodge the bottle, which shattered against the wall, the sound echoing throughout the room. Korra made her move, straddling Asami and pinning her arms to the couch's cushions. Asami struggled, and Korra rolled so they were both on their sides in a spooning position. Korra crossed Asami's arms over her chest and pulled her close. "Let me go!" she shouted, struggling against the Avatar. "Let me go and leave!"

"Why do you want me to leave?" Korra asked, pulling Asami in a tighter grip, fighting to hold her down and not hurt her and convince herself that Asami didn't mean what she was saying.

"I don't want you to leave! I never want anyone to leave. But they always do. And I know you will too someday. So why make it worse? Why fall in love with you? You're just going to go. Just like my 'friends' when I was a kid. Like Mom. Like... like Dad."

In that moment, Korra could feel Asami break in her arms.

Asami started sobbing into Korra's arms, loud and painful. Her entire body shook as she cried. Korra loosened her grip, and Asami's hands covered her face. Korra curled around her, holding her, making sure she didn't fall off of the sofa. She didn't say anything, or try to comfort her. She understood that this needed to play itself out.

After a few minutes of crying, Asami said something between sobs that Korra couldn't understand. "What?" Korra asked.

"He's gone," she said. "Dad's gone. He's dead. Oh Spirits, it hurts so much say it. To think about it-" She started sobbing again. Korra continued to hold her; there was nothing to be said.

"I can see it," she said, a few minutes later. "I can remember it so clearly. Him telling me he loved me. And then getting ejected out of the mech. And watching the hand come down. And _the sound_..."

Asami alternated between crying and a silence that, every time, Korra thought meant that she had fallen asleep. But within a few minutes Asami would start up again. 

It wasn't until the sun started to peek through the window that Asami spoke again. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"Sorry for what?" Korra asked, her voice cracking from disuse. 

"For throwing the bottle. For saying those things. I wasn't- I didn't-"

"I forgive you," Korra said. 

Asami was silent. "I don't deserve your forgiveness. Or your friendship, at this point. If you wanted to leave me I would... I would understand."

"I don't want to leave you," Korra said, pulling her closer. "I can't imagine my life without you, and I want to help you get through this, like you did for me. You're broken, now, and I'm here to help pick up the pieces."

"Okay. I-"

"Shhh," Korra said, pulling her in again. "Sleep now. You need it. We both do."

"Okay."

And they slept. Not peacefully - Korra woke more than once to fresh tears on her arms - but they slept.

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea I had after I saw all the 'Asami's going to need major therapy after the Colossus' posts that were floating around after the finale. I'm not 100% okay with how it turned out, but it's done and I think it gets across what I wanted it to.


End file.
